Mapleshade's Vengeance/Chapter 5
Chapter description :Mapleshade wakes up coughing and feverish, wondering where she is. She finds a freshly killed mouse beside her and notes that can't remember the last time she ate. She quickly remembers what happened with her kits and Appledusk. Mapleshade sees a small black-and-white tom, who introduces himself as Myler, and he asks if she's alright and offers to care for her. Mapleshade growls that she doesn't need his help. She looks for a way out of the barn, thinking about how she has lost everything. An image of her dead kits appear, and Mapleshade hears them wail for help. :She heads back towards ThunderClan territory, staying just outside Clan boundaries. Upon reaching and crossing a bridge, Mapleshade is reminded of how her kits drowned, and convinces herself that it wasn't her fault. She is about the cross the border, but freezes. She realizes that because she had been exiled, she'd be treated as a rogue. She pictures Ravenwing, the ThunderClan medicine cat, and believes that her kits drowning is all his fault. Mapleshade becomes enraged, and the sounds of the forest fade, and her vision blurs. Stumbling and extremely thirsty, she splashes through a stream, unable to muster enough energy to drink. Mapleshade flops down into a narrow ditch next to a holly bush that reminds her of her home. :She is discovered by Nettlepaw, who states that she isn't supposed to be there. He asks where her kits are, and is shocked when she tells him they drowned. Mapleshade asks him to leave her alone, and he flees. Nettlepaw returns shortly with a bundle of herbs that he was collecting for Ravenwing, but gives them to her instead. He then reveals that Frecklewish had followed her and seen Mapleshade and her kits get swept off the stepping stones. Mapleshade is furious. A cat calls for Nettlepaw, and he races away. Mapleshade eats all the herbs, satisfied that she had taken them from Ravenwing. She feels a strong need to make him regret what he did. Mapleshade thinks about how it is almost half moon, and that the Moonstone isn't part of Clan territory, so going there wouldn't be trespassing. She notes that Ravenwing would be unguarded by warriors. :When Mapleshade feels the herbs giving her strength, she gets up, heading towards Fourtrees. She crosses into WindClan territory, smelling fox, thankful that it will hide her scent. She spots a WindClan patrol chasing a rabbit that runs straight into her paws. Mapleshade kills it, and, without being spotted, hides in a tree while the patrol passes, confused as to where the rabbit went. Mapleshade is worried the tree won't provide her enough cover, but soon the patrol leaves. :Mapleshade awakes early, hoping she won't be spotted by any WindClan warriors. She crosses the Thunderpath, avoiding places where medicine cats travelling early might see her. Her belly rumbles and she stops for a quick hunt. She hops onto a boulder and screeches that she's ready for Ravenwing and she'll pay for what he did. Mapleshade thinks if she can't be a warrior, she'll spend her life avenging her kits. Characters Major }} Minor *Nettlepaw *Unnamed warrior }} Mentioned *Patchkit *Larchkit *Petalkit *Frecklewish }} Notes and references Category:Mapleshade's Vengeance Category:Chapter subpages Category:Novellas